Lent

I grew up in a denomination that didn't practice Lent, or any other liturgical season for that matter. I'd never even heard of the word liturgical until sometime after college. Instead we emphasized that the important events of Christ's life should be remembered during every season of the year. Each Sunday was of equal importance. We remembered the birth every Sunday, not just on Christmas. We celebrated the resurrection every Sunday, not just on Easter. Of course that wasn't always true, but I still appreciate the effort.

In practical terms it meant that I never heard a Christmas sermon on Christmas or an Easter sermon on Easter. Good Friday was just another holiday and Lent was something the Catholics did. Gradually we began to recognize Christmas and Easter (in a religious sense that is, we always recognized them in a secular sense). Yet, we still stressed the importance of remembering these events throughout the year and not just on special Sundays. I still agree with that idea but I'm also finding significance in the practice of setting aside special days to intensely focus on these events. That's one of the reasons our church began having a Good Friday service and a Christmas service. It's why I now preach the resurrection every Easter (or "Resurrection Sunday" as my friend at the Christian Church likes to call it).

I say all that, to say this...last night my small group decided to observe Lent. I've never done anything like this so I don't really know what to expect and I'm sure our observance will be much less formalized than most. From what we can tell Lent primarily consists of three activities: prayer, serving the poor and fasting (or abstaining from specific foods). The prayers are up to each one of us individually. I'm going to try getting up 10 minutes earlier each day and devoting that to prayer. To serve the poor we're going to collect diapers for a homeless ministry in Nashville and then our families will go up there the first of April to deliver them and serve meals. These things were decided fairly quickly.

It was the question of what to "give up" for Lent that we wrestled with for a while. It had to be something that was a legitimate sacrifice. Preferably something we ate/drank every day so that giving it up would be a bit of a struggle. For example, I drink two to three Diet Cokes every day. It's my standard order at lunch and most dinners. So guess what I'm giving up for Lent? Actually, I'm giving up all sodas. That may sound easy to you, but I'm already preparing for my afternoon headaches and caffeine withdrawals. Others in the group are giving up Sun Drop, soft drinks, sweets, cereal, bread, ice-cream, french fries and eating between meals. We even got the kids involved. They're giving up chocolate, cakes, cookies and Nintendo DS. We wanted everyone to share what they were giving up so we'd have a little accountability and shared sacrifice.

It all begins tomorrow on "Ash Wednesday" so I've been drinking as much soda as I can today. I finally understand what "Fat Tuesday" is all about.

The Fuel of Judgmental Attitudes

I ran across this bit from the Unchristian book on the topic of being judgmental...

Let's face it. Outsiders have a legitimate beef. We are, more than we realize, too anxious to judge others. We deserve the label judgmental.

But why is that? Jesus gives us a clear example of pursuing people, of accepting people at face value. Often he scandalized others by hanging out with the least desirable people in the culture, and his teaching is unambiguous: do not judge others or you'll face the same yardstick; remove the log from your eye before pulling a splinter from your friend's eye; and you do not have the right to condemn others, unless you are sinless (see Matthew 7:1-5). How have Christians gotten so far from this?

Some people explain it simply--even Christians make mistakes. Believers do not always express Christ perfectly because they are imperfect. This is accurate, but it also misses the point.

Pride fuels judgmental attitudes. Arrogance is perhaps the most socially acceptable form of sin in the church today. In this culture of abundance, one of the only ways Satan can keep Christians neutralized is to wrap us up in pride. Conceit slips in like drafts of cold air in the winter. We don't see it, but outsiders can sense it. One outsider make this observation: "Christians talk about love, but it doesn't feel like love. I get the sense they believe they are better than me, even though their life seems about the same as mine."

The phrase that jumped off the page for me was "arrogance is perhaps the most socially acceptable form of sin in the church today." Ouch.

A Different Kind of Kingdom

Here's my follow-up thoughts on politics, especially in light of John 18:36...

The president is not our king and this country is not our kingdom. We are citizens of another kingdom. That’s what Jesus was explaining to Pilate, although he didn’t understand. Jesus was saying that if my kingdom was of this world then we would use the tactics of this world, but my kingdom is from another place. Sometimes Christians try to establish the kingdom of God using the principles and tactics of earthly kingdoms. We utilize political power or military might, assuming it's the best course of action, but it rarely works. That's because God's kingdom is a different kind of kingdom. In his kingdom everything is turned on its head…the meek rule, the poor have the seat of honor, the humble prevail, the servants are greatest, the first are the last.

To implement a kingdom like that we have to use alternative methods. As Shane Claiborne argues, we don’t need political views as much as we need political alternatives. We have to become the change we want in the world. We don’t just lobby politicians and wait on them to change things for us. Instead, we take the responsibility of engaging our values in real and meaningful ways.

The example he gives is Mother Teresa. She made a difference in the world, not because of her political clout or position, but because she embodied her politics. She became the change she desired in the world. She didn’t just lobby for the poor, she lived among them and cared for them. She didn’t wear T-shirts that said “abortion is murder,” she told young mothers, with all sincerity, “if you don’t want your baby, I’ll take them.”

That's the kind of political engagement in which Christians need to be involved. We belong to another kingdom and we serve another king, so we need to act like it. That's a tough message for me to hear because it steps squarely on my toes. It's a whole lot easier to hold political views and just go on with our lives, but not nearly as effective. Transformation comes through action more than ideology.

Lilly's Article

I have some follow-up thoughts on the politics post, but those will have to wait. For now I'm turning over the blog to my 9 year old. Last night we took my Mom (her Grandma) out for her birthday at a really nice restaurant. One of those four star, four course type places. During the meal Lilly came up this article . . .

Fancy Restaurants Are Boring (by Lilly Adcox)

You should never ever go to a fancy restaurant. Do you want to know why?

1. They don’t bring your food on time. It takes a really long time because they think you want to talk more than you want to eat.
2. There’s lots of things on the table…extra spoons and forks and knives. I don't know why they put out so much silverware.
3. You have to put your napkin in your lap and sit up straight and you can’t put your elbows on the table. I like putting my elbows on the table because it’s more relaxing that way. Fancy people don’t know how to relax.
4. The food is not so good. It looks pretty but it doesn’t taste any good. Plus, they don't give you enough of it anyway.
5. This is a big one. You have to dress up. I hate dressing up. Why do you have to dress up to eat? I understand dressing up to go to church or something, but I eat all the time and I never have to dress up.
6. It costs a lot of money. This is not a big problem for me because Pa always pays, but if he didn’t have to buy the food then he could buy me more toys.
7. If you’re young you should probably hear this…they give you cups without tops. You could easily spill your drink all over you and everyone would think you went to the bathroom in your pants. That would be really embarrassing.
8. They don't know how to do a Kid's Menu. What kid eats filet mignon and broiled lobster? Why don’t they have chicken strips or grilled cheeses or something like that? I don't know what filet mignon is but it doesn't sound very good.
9. The people are kind of snooty. They look at you funny when you talk real loud or try to play games. It’s really not very nice.
10. They’re just boring. Trust me.

Christians and Politics

That was the topic I tackled last Sunday. It wasn't easy. The Unchristian series has been full of difficult subjects and frankly, I'm ready for something a little easier. I'd rather preach on grace or love or anything but politics. So why did I do it? Well, one of the dominant perceptions among 16-29 year olds is that Christians are "too invovled in politics." They find our political activitism to be a cause for concern and for many it's increased their mistrust of Christians. In short, our political engagement has thrown up barriers to the Christian faith.

That bothers me. I don't want people rejecting Christ because of the political involvment of his followers. So what's the answer? That's the big question I wrestled with and have been wrestling with for a while now. Should Chrisitans just be apolitical and have no involvement with politics or do we have a right (even an obligation) to be involved in the political process?

Although I find the apolitical approach very appealing, I can't quite get there completely. I do think that we need to be careful not to put too much trust in politics and remember that we're part of another kingdom that's "not of this world." Yet, I don't think we can completely disengage. We're called to be salt and light to the world around us. How do we do that if we're uninvolved with the issues facing our world? So I do think Christians need to engage the political process, but maybe not in the same old ways.

One of the most intriguing discussions in Scripture (relating to this topic) is the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Jesus was brought before Pilate on political charges. He was accused of "subverting the nation, opposing payment of taxes to Ceaser and claiming to be a King." Pilate is trying to sort all this out and John records the following conversation in 18:33-38...

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

"Is that you're own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief preists who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked.

So what does this tell us?